Snubbed truck



Oct- 18, 1949- E. J. MAATMAN 2,485,104

l SNUBBED TRUCK Filed Nov, 9, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENToR EGBERT J. MAATMAN BY QM,...

///// l ATT RNEY Oct. 18, 1949. E. J. MAATMAN 2,485,104

` SNUBBED TRUCK v Filed Nov. 9, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNvE NToR EGBERT J. MAATMAN ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 18, 1949 SNUBBED TRUCK Egbert J. Maatman,

to American Steel Fo South Holland, Ill., assigner undries, Chicago, Ill., a

corporation of New `ersey Application November 9, 194,6, Serial No. 708,956

13 Claims.

My invention relates to railway car trucks and more particularly t trucks incorporating friction absorbing means for damping oscillations of the spring-supported bolster.

An object of my invention is to design a truck as described, comprisingfriction means associated with the bolster and side frame columns and insuring substantially uniform constant friction therebetween whereby the oscillations of the bolster-supporting spring group are effectively dampened during operation of the truck.

Another object of my invention is to design a railway car truck such as described wherein friction shoes may be housed in each side of the bolster, each shoe being in frictional engagement with a friction surface on an adjacent side frame column and in slidable engagement with a surface in said pocket and having resilient means associated therewith for urging the same against said surfaces.

My invention contemplates an arrangement wherein each end ofthe load-carrying member or bolster may house friction means for engagement with the side frame in such manner that the friction elements may be operatively assembled in the bolster togetherl with the resilient means actuating the same, said elements being so positioned as to facilitate application of the bolster as assembled with said friction elements to the side frame opening.

My invention also comprehends a friction shoe of novel form for utilization in the structure as I have described.

These and other objects of my invention will be apparent from a consideration of the specification and the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevati-on of a railway car truck embodying my invention, the bolster and friction means being shown in section, however, the section being taken in a plane extending transversely of the bolster and substantially bisecting the friction means, the view illustrating the positions of the shoes and resilient means in the initial stage of assembling the bolster with the side frame.

Figure 2 is a view similar to the one shown in Figure 1, illustrating the final assembly of the structure shown in Figure 1, the right half of the bolster end and friction means therein being shown in section taken substantially in the same plane as that indicated in Figure l.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the structure shown in Figure 2, the section being taken in the plane substantially as indicated by line 3 3 of Figure 2, the bolster, however, being shown in elevation.

Referring to the drawings in detail, it will be noted that I have illustrated my invention as applied to a freight car truck utilizing a truss type side frame, generally designated 2, having the compression member 4, the tension member 6, and the columns 8, 8 merging with said tension and compression members to form the bolster opening I0.

The compression and tension members may be generally 0f box section (Figure) with the tension member beneath the bolster opening, having the central longitudinal reinforcing web I2 and the widened top chord i4 forming the spring seat it (Figure 3) on which may be positioned a plurality of springs I8, I8, said springs being retained in normal relationship by the upstanding lugs 2i), 20 on the spring seat I6 and the lugs 22, 22 projecting downwardly from the associated bolster, generally designated 24'.

The bolster 24 is of boxlike form, comprising the top and bottom walls 2B and 28 merging at each side of the bolster with the side walls 30 (Figure 3) formed with inboard and outboard interlocking gibs 32 and 34 for interlocking said bolster with the side frame in a well known manner. It may be seen that the length of the outboard gibs 34 is less than the depth of the widened lower portion 36 of the bolster opening I0 (Figures 1 and 2) so that the bolster 24, after the springs are removed, may be lowered in said opening and removed therefrom for dismantling, as will be readily understood .by those skilled in the art, It will also be apparent that the width of the portion 36 is sufficient to conveniently admit the bolster end with the friction shoes only partially withdrawn. into the pockets as may -be seen inFigure 1.

At each side thereof the bolster is formed with the friction shoe pocket 38 comprising inboard and outboard walls 4b and 42 (Figure 3) and the rear wall 44 (Figure 1), said walls merging with the top and bottom bolster walls 26 and 28 to define said pocket. Within each pocket 3B may be mounted a friction shoe 46.

Each friction shoe 46 is of skeletal form comprising integrally the front web 43, top and bottom webs 50 and 52,4 and the rear web 54, said webs defining the central opening 5B (Figure 1) for a purpose to be explained.

The front web 48 has a friction face 58 for frictional engagement as at B0 (Figure 2) with a wear plate 62 mounted in any convenient manner on the adjacent column 8 and said top and bottom webs 58 and 52 of the shoe arey each formed with angularly arranged substantially at seating faces 64, 56 and 88, lll, respectively, said surfaces 64 and 65 converging upwardly and being crowned or arcuately formed at their point of convergence l2 and said surfaces 68 and lli converging downwardly and being similarly crowned or formed at their point of convergence 'i4 for a purpose hereinafter described.

Within each pocket is housed a spring 16 and a rubber pad or resilient block ll, said spring being compressed between the rear web 54 on the associated shoe and the rear wall 44 of the pocket. termined position in the poclret by spaced upstanding lugs i8, 'f8 integrally formed on the rear web 54 and the bottom web 52 of the shoe and substantially surrounding one end of the spring and by the lug or structure 88 integrally formed on the rear wall 44 of the pocket and substantially encasing the other end of the spring, said spring being kept from sliding upwardly by the depending lug 'I9 on the top bolster wall 26, said lug being disposed centrally in the pocket.

The rear web 54 of the shoe has angularly arranged converging surfaces 82 and 84 on either of which the adjacent end of the spring may seat under different conditions hereinafter more fully explained.

The pad l1, which may be vulcanized or otherwise secured to the bottom bolster wall 28, is affixed in any convenient manner, as by vulcanizing, to an overlying bearing or pressure plate 86 and is compressed between said bottom bolster wall 28 and plate 86, said plate bearing against the bottom shoe web 52 and urging said shoe upwardly and thus the top web 50 of the shoe into engagement with the top bolster wall 26.

It may be observed in Figure 1 that when the shoes 46 are disengaged from the columns, the previously mentioned surfaces 64 and 18 of each shoe engage the top bolster wall 26 as at 88 and the bearing plate therebeneath as at 98, respectively, and that at vthe same time the spring 16, only slightly compressed, seats on thevsurface 82, and the pad ll, although slightly compressed, urges the shoe upwardly. However, when the bolster is elevated into the unwidened portion of the opening as seen in Figure 2, the shoes are brought into frictional engagement with the side frame structure or columns, the pad 'l1 is substantially compressed, the spring 16 seats on the surface 84 of the shoe and is greatly compressed, principally because the shoe has m'oved inwardly of the pocket, the shoes are disposed in operating or upright position, and the surfaces 66 and 68 on the top and bottom webs seat on the top bolster The spring is maintained in a predea position substantially medially between the said wall 26 as at 82 and the bearing plate as at 84,

respectively.

It will be seen that when each shoe is in extended position, that is, when the bolster is dis` mantled from the side frame structure or lowered to the widened portion of the side frame opening, it is retained in its respective pocket by the pin stop or retainer means 96 extending through the aligned openings 98, 98 in the outboard and inboard pocket walls 40 and 42 and through the opening 56 in the shoe 46, said pin bearing against the angularly arranged inner surfaces |00 of the rear web of the shoe 54.

It may be noted that the opening 58 in the shoe is relatively large so that when the shoes are engaged with the columns, the pin becomes disengaged from the rear web of the shoe and assumes front and rear webs of the shoe as may be observed in Figure 2, the clearance between the shoe and the pin being sufficient to permit the shoe to move in vertical and horizontal directions.

The angularly arranged faces of the top and bottom webs of the shoe which, as hereinbefore described, are crowned or arcuately formed as at l2 and 74 and, since the pad 'il is yieldable, permits the shoe to rock or tilt in the pocket in order to accommodate some tilting movement of the side frame with respect to the bolster, the spring i8 maintaining the friction face 58 of the shoe in full face engagement with the wear plate 82 on the adjacent column 8 and the resilient pad ll, although permitting the shoe to tilt in the pocket, substantially eliminates vertical movement of the shoe relative to the bolster.

It may be observed from a consideration of Figure l that when the friction shoes are assembled with the bolster prior to insertion of the bolster into the bolster opening, or elevation of said bolster in said opening, the friction faces 58, 58 of the shoes at opposite sides of the bolster lie in upwardly converging planes, in other words, converging toward the narrow portion of the opening, the disposition of said friction faces 58, 58 in said planes being eiectuated by the tilted positions of the shoes, said shoes being urged into such tilted positions by the spring and pad associated therewith and being maintained in such position by the cooperative relationship between the pin and the shoe under urging by said pad and spring, it being noted that the pin extends through the shoe at a point above the center thereof and above the fulcrum' formed by the juncture of said surfaces 82 and 84 on the rear web 54 of the shoe against which. said spring bears when the shoe begins to tilt.

As the bolster is being lowered in the opening for removal from the side frame and the axis of the spring falls below the bottom edge of the adjacent column, the spring urges the lower portion of the shoe outwardly, at which time the friction wall of the shoe slides on the lower edge of the adjacent column until the inner face of the rear web of the shoe comes in contact with the pin. Thereafter, spring 15, which is disposed so that the axis thereof is below or eccentric with respect to the axis of the stop means 96, rotates or pivots the shoe about the pin to the position shown in Figure 1. In rotating the shoe, the

spring 'i6 unseats itself from seat 84 and bears on seat 82. It will be understood that the shoe, on rotating, fulcrums on points 12 and 14 and is assisted to seat in a tilted position, that is, on face 64, against the horizontal surface of the top bolster wall 26 by means of resilient pad 'il and wear plate 62 which urges the shoe. upwardly against said top bolster wall 26.

It will be appreciated that I have devised a friction shoe assembly which will effectively dampen synchronous oscillations of the bolstersupporting springs and at the same time is easily assembled with the bolster and that the bolster as assembled with the shoes may easily be applied to the widened portion of the side frame opening and readily elevated therein into operating position.

It is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited by the exact embodiment of the device shown which is merely by way of illustration and not limitation as various and other forms of the device will, of course, be apparent to those A$2,485,roti

5 skilled in the art Vwithout departing from the spirit of the inventionor'the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A friction shoe comprising top and bottom webs each having-a plurality of rconverging shoeseating surfaces, an integral wall extending between said top and bottom webs `and having a friction surface on one side thereof, a web spaced from said wall and extending between said top and bottom webs and having angularly arranged converging spring seat faces, and spaced upstanding spring-positioning lugs integrally formed with said last-mentioned web and said bottom web at the juncture thereof.

2. A railway car truck comprising a supporting member with a friction surface, another member resiliently supported by Asaid supporting ,'member, and a friction device carri/ed by the said axis and extending outwardly thereof and engaging an abutment of said supported member when said area is in frictional engagement with said surface, and said shoe means having an abutment at the other side of said axis and extending inwardly thereof and engaging another abutment of the supported member when said area is in frictional engagement with said surface, said spring means being adapted upon disengagement of said area from said surface to rock said shoe means on said axis, thereby disengaging the shoe abutments from the abutments of the supported member and disposing said fric.- tion area diagonally with respect to said surface and engaging said spring means with the other seat.

3. A railway car truck according to claim 2, wherein the supported member is provided with a spring-positioning lug at said other side of the rocking axis of said shoe means and inwardly of the shoe means, and said supported member is provided with another spring-positioning lug at said one side of said rocking axis and inwardly of the first-mentioned lug, said lugs being engageable with said spring means for limiting movement thereof during rocking movement of the shoe means on said axis.

Ll. A railway car truck comprising a side frame withspaced friction surfaces, a bolster structure resiliently supported by said frame between said surfaces, and a friction device carried by said structure at each side thereof for cooperation with the related surface, said device comprising a friction shoe having angularly related spring seats on its inner surface and having a friction -area on its outer surface engageable with the related friction surface, means on said structure and shoe for limiting movement of the latter toward said related surface and for fulcruming said shoe on a rocking axis generally parallel to said related surface, and spring means movable with said bolster structure during vertical oscillations thereof and compressed against one of said seats at one side of said rocking axis, said spring means being adapted when said area is disengaged from frictional engagement with said 75 against said one spring seat area, and said shoe,`

related surface to rock said shoe on 'said axis and engage the other seat.

5. A railway car truck according to claim 4, wherein the shoe is formed with top and bottom abutments engaged with abutments of the bolster structure when said spring means is compressed against the first-mentioned seat, one of the abutments being resilient and being under compression when said spring means is compressed against the first-mentioned seat.

6. A railway car truck comprising a supporting member with spaced friction surfaces, another Vmember resiliently supported by said supporting member, and friction devices carried by said other member for cooperation with respective surfaces, each of said devices comprising friction shoe means having a pair of spring seats on the inner Vsurface thereof and having a friction face on the outer surface'thereof engaging the related friction surface, normally disengaged means on the shoe means and other member for fulcruming said shoe means to rotate with respect to said other member, and spring means compressed againstone of said seats and acting against said shoe means along a line of force at one side -of the rotational axis of said shoe `means to urge said face against the related surface, said spring means being adapted when said face is disengaged from said surface to urge the fulcruming means of said shoe means and other member into engagement and to rotate said shoe means about said axis until said spring means engages the other seat and the friction face is diagonal with respect to the related surface.

'7. In a friction shoe and bolster assembly for a railway car truck having a side frame adapted to resiliently support the bolster and having a friction surface adapted to cooperate with the shoe; the combination of a bolster portion, a friction shoe housed therein and having an outer friction area and a pair of inner spring-seating areas, means on the shoe end portion for fulcruming the shoe on a rocking axis, spring means compressed against one of the seating areas and acting n the shoe in a line of force at one Side of said axis, top and bottom abutments on said shoe engaging said portion when said area is in frictional engagement with said surface and said spring means is compressed against said one seating area, and different top and bottom abutments on said shoe adapted to engage said portion when said friction area is disengaged from said surface and said spring means is compressed against the other seating area.

8. An assembly according to claim '7, wherein resilient means are provided for restraining relative vertical movement between the shoe and bolster portion when the friction area of the shoe is engaged with said friction surface.

9. A friction shoe and bolster assembly for a railway car truck comprising a bolster portion, a friction shoe housed therein and having inwardly facing top and bottom spring seat areas, said shoe having an outwardly facing friction f area, means for rotatably interconnecting the bolster portion and friction shoe for accommodating rotational movement of the shoe relative to the bolster portion on a rotational axis, spring means compressed against one of the spring seat areas and acting against the shoe in a line of force at one side of said axis, said shoe having abutment means engaging said portion for limiting rotational movement of said shoe about said axis when said spring means is compressed engages the other spring seat area and said friction area is frictionally engaged with an associated side frame surface.l

Y10. A friction shoe having converging abutment surfaces at each end thereof, converging spring seats on the rear surface of the shoe, a friction face on the front surface of the shoe, and means intermediate said face and seats for fulcruming the shoe to an associated support structure.

11. In a friction shoe for a railway car truck, a member having a friction Wall, a spring seat Wall spaced laterally of said friction Wall and having angularly arranged portions presenting angularly related spring seats, and spaced webs interconnecting said Walls and defining therewith a retainer means receiving opening, each of said Webs being provided with a plurality of angularly related shoe-seating surfaces.

12. A friction shoe comprising inner and outer abutment surfaces at each end thereof, the inner surface at one end of the shoe being substantially parallel to the outer surface at the other end thereof and the inner surface at said other end of the shoe being approximately parallel to the outer surface at said one end thereof, angularly arranged spring seats on the rear surface of the shoe'adjacent respective ends thereof, a friction area on the front surface of the shoe, and means intermediate the front and rear surfaces of the shoe for fulcruming the shoe to an associated support structure.

13. In a friction shoe, a member having a friction face on one side thereof, a pair of angularly arranged spring seat faces on the opposite side thereof, and a pair of angularly related shoeseating faces on the top and on the bottom thereof.

EGBERT J. MAATMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

